ET6 NATION PRESENTS: "DAILY WORDS OF WISDOM"

Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things; to the every day things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon.
                                                            Booker T. Washington 

                                                          

 Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an African-American educator, author, orator, and advisor to Republican presidents. He was the dominant leader in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915. Representative of the last generation of black American leaders born in slavery, he spoke on behalf of the large majority of blacks who lived in the South but had lost their ability to vote through disfranchisement by southern legislatures.

PRINCE & JANET JACKSON'S TWITTER FEUD IS LIMITING JACKSON'S TO KING OF POP'S ESTATE

 
Prince Jackson (15) decided he would step in and tell his side of the story after being quiet about the controversy. In an lengthy tweet, he posted to his twitter followers, he revealed that he and his brother and sister were finally able to talk to Katherine Jackson (after at least 9 days of her being away from them in Arizona) and that he is hurt and angry to find out that she was lied to. He also said that his father (Michael) has always warned him about certain people in the family and he posted a screenshot of a group text message that he sent to his aunts asking to speak to his grandmother and Janet Jackson responded back, ‘Don’t let them pls’.

Read his tweets below:

I would first like to start off this tweet by thanking the fans that have always stood by me and my family, my dad really appreciated your support and I still treasure it to this day. As I am sure everyone is well aware of the events that have been going on. I have been holding off on backing up my sister and her tweets avidly because I was waiting for the time to reveal my side. As long as I can remember my dad had repeatedly warned me of certain people and their ways. Although I am happy my grandma was returned, after speaking with her I realized how misguided and how badly she was lied to. I’m really angry and hurt. The following image is of a group chat I had started to several family members. This group text message I had started was replied to but they didn’t know that I could see the responses. For this whole time, they denied us contact to our grandmother. “If you continue with your lies I will continue with the truth”
-Michael Jackson Jr.

This is the text message he posted…

KOBE BRYANT CAUGHT IN COMPROMISING PHOTOS WHICH MAY LAND HIM IN HOT WATER

When you are trying to save your marriage, the last thing you want to do is get caught in compromising photos…even if it is innocent.   Over the weekend, photos surfaced of Kobe Bryant partying it up in Barcelona last week with his shirt off and surrounded by chicks. Although the photos may look a little suspect, a source close to Kobe claims that he came out of his shirt, only after someone spilled a drink on him. The photos were allegedly taken while someone was fetching him another shirt. [From where? a nearby store?] Granted, he looks kind of awkward and embarrassed so this could be true.

Vanessa, however, may not be too pleased about this one. She’s known to check a bish proper! She’s already arrived in London.

Savannah Brinson, meanwhile, is one of the only other wives (well fiancee technically) out there holding it down with Lebron.

DIRK NOWITZKI MARRIED IN KENYAN TRADITIONAL WEDDING CEREMONY IN AFRICA

Dirk Nowitzki and his new wife Jessica are an example of how to make an multi-cultural wedding arrangement work.
Earlier this month, rumors surfaced that the Dallas Maverick forward wed his girlfriend Jessica Olsson in a traditional Kenya ceremony with plans to have a second wedding in Germany for his family.  Photos have now surfaced of the bride and 7 foot groom, dressed in traditional Kikuyu garments, during the ceremony.  According to reports:

The short version of the Kikuyu wedding, that is meant to announce to the community that the daughter is engaged, provided relatives from both sides with an opportunity to get to know each other and conclude ruracio (dowry payments) discussions. When a couple goes through the ruracio phase, their wedding is officially recognized by customary laws.
The bride,  Jessica was also presented with a kiondo (handwoven bag)  by elderly kikuyu women. She had to demonstrate how she would go to the market and shop for her husband. Later the couple together with the guests danced to mugithi tunes.

                                                

EVE SPEAKS ON 'STEVIE J' AND PAST RELATIONSHIP ONTO LOVE AND HIP HOP ATL

If Eve has ever tuned into ‘Love & Hip Hop Atlanta’ on a Monday nights to see her ex-boyfriend, Stevie J in action, she probably has thought a time or two, ‘Thank God you blew it. I dodged a Bullet’.
Eve recently hosted an ‘Intimate Hour’ with high school girls in Philly and she revealed her journey of self-discovery, all while touching on her relationship with Stevie. According to Eve, he wouldn’t even be able to see the girl that she is now.

On if Stevie J was her first love:
Yes, Stevie J was my first love.
On how she defines the ‘love’ between her and Stevie back then
You know what…that was a learning experience. You meet people all the time. We just happen to fall in love. Umm, but thankfully I knew better, I know better, I am happily in love now. And the girl now (referring to herself) he couldn’t even see this. I would be like, “I’m sorry, we don’t speak the same language!” But you know, it is what it is….that’s life. Sometimes you meet people who aren’t great for you but thankfully I am in a different place.
On things she would not put up with now that she is older and knows better
When I was younger I didn’t question things but now I am annoying! Like if something doesn’t feel right speak up! If you feel like you are being lied to speak up! If you feel like Sexually he is trying to push you to fast speak up. And let me tell you something. Anybody that knows your worth it will stick around. They might not talk to you about it, they may talk to you about it but if they argue with you or if they call you a name or if they roll out they are not meant to be in your life anyways….

SPANISH TOURIST VICTIM OF HAMMER ATTACK IN CITY HALL PARK BY WELL DRESSED ASSAILANT

A hammer-wielding madman — dressed in a suit and tie — bashed in the skull of a Spanish tourist who was sitting quietly with his wife on a bench in City Hall Park yesterday, police sources said.
Witnesses said the crazed man looked normal — until he walked up to Hugo Alejandro, 31, of Barcelona and cracked him repeatedly in the temple with the hammer’s claw end — just one inch above his left eye.
Before striking him, the wacko screamed out profanities, calling his victim a “Nazi motherf- - ker’’ and shouted out his views on President Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
Alejandro was rushed to Bellevue Hospital with a fractured skull shortly after 3 p.m. He was listed in stable condition last night.
His alleged attacker was identified as John Charles Yoos, 43, from Flatlands, Brooklyn, according to sources.
A group of good Samaritans held Yoos until others pointed out the violent suspect to an off-duty NYPD officer who was working a security job at a bank across the street.
The cop held him until reinforcements arrived at the scene. Cops said they also found a knife in his jacket pocket.
He was charged with assault, reckless endangerment and weapons possession.

METH DISGUISED AS SNICKER BARS LANDS A CALIFORNIA MAN IN JAIL FOR ATTEMPTED SMUGGLING

California man tries to smuggle Meth disguised as Snicker bars out of the U.S. to Japan.

Kids, we know you're hooked on the energy drinks. But have you ever tried a meth bar?
Just wait.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today that one Rogelio Mauricio Harris, 34, has a date in court this afternoon after he allegedly tried to board a plane at LAX with four pounds worth of meth candy bars in his baggage:

The bust was made Friday at LAX by CBP agents who singled the suspect out for further inspection after eyeing a large box of chocolate bars -- apparently Mars- Snickers-brand -- in his luggage, according to a CBP statement.
The 45 bars, agents say, contained chocolate-coated meth. Harris was headed for Japan, the CBP says.
Listen up, people of Japan: if you thought regular American candy was bad for your teeth, just wait.
Harris was quickly charged with suspicion of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He could face 10 years if convicted.
The bars, with nearly four pounds worth of meth, would have been worth nearly a quarter-million dollars in Japan, federal officials stated.
Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in L.A. states:

This scheme involved considerable planning and preparation and it shows the lengths to which smugglers will go in an attempt to elude detection.

There seems to be an overseas market for LAX-outbound meth. According to a CBP statement:

Other recent attempts have involved concealing the contraband in Easter eggs, snack food bags and cans of refried beans.

And they say America doesn't make stuff the world wants anymore?
[Update at 3:28 p.m.]: According to the feds' criminal complaint against Harris, CBP agents were a little suspicious from the get-go because he purchased his ticket for Delta flight 283 with cash and was scheduled to return quickly -- today, in fact.
Agents set off to inspect his checked luggage, a rolling suitcase, and discovered the box of bars, according to the complaint. A metal probe was poked through the chocolate and, alas, the white substance that later tested positive for meth was found, feds alleged.

Harris was tracked down on a "jet way" as he was about to board the plane, according to the complaint.

PUPPETEERS PLAN TO EAT CHILDREN ARRESTED FOR FEDERAL KIDNAPPING CONSPIRACY AND CHILD PORN

Child predators are described as the stuff of parents' nightmares. But no parent would dream of the acts federal authorities say stoked the imagination of Ronald William Brown.
Brown, 57, lived alone in the Whispering Pines mobile home park in Largo, a professional puppeteer with a soft, Southern-accented voice and thick eyeglasses. He often served pizza to kids in the neighborhood, then drove them to services at Gulf Coast Church, where he was an active congregant.
But there was another side to Brown, according to a 29-page criminal complaint filed July 20 in federal court in Tampa: The man who, as he was feeding pizza to teenagers, nursed fantasies of murdering and eating them. The one who acted out Bible stories with puppets at his church, while musing online about carving and cooking the body parts of a young parishioner for Easter.
"I imagine him wiggling and then going still," Brown told an associate in an Internet chat session, describing his plot to kill and cannibalize a boy at Gulf Coast Church, according to the criminal complaint.
On Friday, Brown was arrested on charges of conspiring to kidnap a child and possession of child pornography and booked into the Pinellas County Jail. U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents who searched his home found lewd images of children bound and gagged, a flier for a missing child and "images of children that appear to be deceased."
According to the affidavit supporting the criminal complaint, Brown told agents that he and Kansas resident Michael Arnett, another alleged child cannibalism enthusiast, "did discuss killing, dismembering and eating" a specific boy at Gulf Coast Church. However, Brown said "it was just a fantasy and he could never and would never hurt anyone." Brown told agents that Arnett traveled to Florida and tried to meet with him, but he didn't respond because he didn't want to follow through on the acts they had discussed online.
Arnett was arrested in May and charged with two counts related to the production, distribution and possession of child pornography. Ross Feinstein, spokesman at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said agents continue to investigate claims Arnett made to Brown that he had cannibalized a child.
In 1998, a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy stopped Brown for a traffic violation and observed boy's underwear between his front seats. Brown said he used the underwear to dress his puppets.
In 2010, Largo police were called to Brown's house by a neighbor who had suspicions about his habit of driving boys around. No arrest resulted.

Hit-Boy Ft. KiD CuDi – Old School Caddy

Hit-Boy Ft. KiD CuDi – Old School Caddy

CHINA'S OLYMPIC SWIMMING PRODIGY SMASHES RECORD CAUSES CONCERNS OF DOPING

At 16, the Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen is one of the youngest competitors in the Olympics and so far the most remarkable. What she has done in the pool is the water-based equivalent of what Usain Bolt did on the track four years ago in Beijing.

On Saturday night, Ye not only shattered the world record in the 400 individual medley, winning gold in 4 minutes 28.43 seconds, she also swam the final 50 meters faster than Ryan Lochte did in winning the men’s race. On Monday, Ye returned to the pool and set an Olympic record of 2:08.39 in the semifinals of the 200 individual medley, her best event.

There is nothing to indicate that she is anything more than a great swimmer from a country that holds about a fifth of the world’s population, a teenager who relies on the latest scientific training and the kind of adolescent certainty that makes her unaware of any limitations. The Chinese have pledged to obey the rules. And Ye dismissed any concerns about doping.

Yet women’s swimming does not permit itself naïve and untempered adulation. Not after the systematic East German doping of the 1970s and ’80s. Not after Chinese scandals in the 1990s. Not after Michelle Smith of Ireland won four medals at the Atlanta Games in 1996 under disputed circumstances and was later barred from competition for tampering with a urine sample.

The response to unsurpassed achievement now falls somewhere uncomfortably between amazement and incredulity, that gray area between celebration and suspicion.

“That’s pretty unbelievable,” David Sharpe, a Canadian swimmer, said of Ye’s finishing kick on Saturday, in which she covered her final 50 meters in 28.93, faster than Lochte’s 29.10. “No one really understands how that happened.”

Ye swam her final 100 meters of the 400 I.M. in 58.68 seconds. Lochte was only three-hundredths of a second faster. No one could immediately remember a woman closing faster than 61 seconds.

“Interesting,” said Natalie Coughlin, an American with 12 Olympic medals.

“Insane,” said Stephanie Rice of Australia, the 2008 Olympic champion and former world-record holder in the 400 I.M. “Fifty-eight is out of control.”

Lochte made a cordial joke about being outkicked. On Monday, Michael Phelps, who finished fourth in the men’s 400 I.M., smiled at a question about Ye’s closing speed and said: “She almost outswam me, too. We were all pretty shocked. It’s pretty impressive that she went that fast.”

No swimmers accused Ye, who is 5 feet 8 inches and weighs 141 pounds, of using illicit substances to fuel her kick. Medalists and, at random, other athletes are tested at the Games.

But John Leonard, an American who is executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association and has long voiced suspicions of doping in China, told The Guardian on Monday that he found Ye’s performance “disturbing.”

Caitlin Leverenz, an American who finished third in Ye’s heat in the 200 on Monday, said: “The Chinese have had a history in the past of doping, so I don’t think people are crazy to point fingers, but I don’t think that’s my job to do right now. I’m just trying to do my best.”

Is Drake Trying To Get Out Of YMCMB Contract? Rapper Reportedly Being Screwed Out Of Millions According To Lawsuit By Jas Prince

Julia Beverly of Ozone Magazine points out that on page 2 of exhibit F of the lawsuit, Drake's lawyers appear to be attempting to get Drake out of his YMCMB contract.

The PDF file of the lawsuit is attached here.

The man who discovered Drake is suing his management company, claiming that he is being cheated out of his share of royalties. In addition the lawsuit claims that Drake is also being screwed out of money he has earned.

James "Jas" Prince, the son of Rap-A-Lot Records CEO J. Prince, filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court against Cortez Bryant, Gerald Roberson, Derrick Lawrence and their firms, including Aspire Music Group LLC, Laurant Managementand Three Kings. Prince says they have refused to provide an accounting of what he is owed.

The lawsuit states that in or around 2007/2008 Prince discovered Drake on Myspace and introduced him to Lil Wayne, Bryant, Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records, Inc. Prince claims that despite an agreement to split the profits associated with Drake's success, he hasn't been paid a dime.

The suit also alleges that Drake hasn't been paid either.

“He hasn’t been paid, and we haven’t been paid,” Prince’s lawyer, James McMillan told the New York Post.

McMillan told the New York Daily News that the companies are hiding behind one man, Ronald Sweeney, who represents both Drake's managers and the record company that pays the royalties.
McMillan says the companies are controlled by Lil Wayne and have sold over 5 million copies of Drake's albums.

"It's one big shell game," McMillan said.

[Video] Gucci Mane – Super Cocky

PUSSY RIOT ON TRIAL FOR MOSCOW CATHEDRAL PERFORMANCE OF ANTI-PUTIN SONG

Punk band Pussy Riot facing 7 years in prison for Anti-Putin song performed on the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

At the opening of their trial on charges of inciting religious hatred, three young women who performed a crude anti-Putin song on the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior said on Monday that they were prepared to take responsibility for “an ethical mistake.” But they denied the formal criminal accusations read aloud by prosecutors.

Facing up to seven years in prison if convicted, the three women, members of a punk band called Pussy Riot, said they intended no offense to Orthodox Christians with their profane performance, which they described as a political demonstration.

“We just were not thinking that our action would be offensive to someone,” Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, said in a statement read by her lawyer, Violetta Volkova. Ms. Tolokonnikova was held in a glass-enclosed box, along with her co-defendants, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, throughout the daylong proceedings in a downtown courtroom.

“If someone was offended by our performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, I am ready to recognize that we committed an ethical mistake,” Ms. Tolokonnikova told the judge in her handwritten statement. “This is exactly the error, since we did not have the conscious intention to offend anyone.”

The criminal trial of the young musician-activists has become a touchstone in the Russian capital, which is still trying to come to grips with the ramifications of the big street protests that preceded and followed Vladimir V. Putin’s election in May to a third term as president.

The case has become a measure of the Kremlin’s resolve in squelching political dissent expressed in unapproved settings. It has also put three very human and, in many ways, sympathetic faces on the political opposition movement.

Flanked by police officers and armed special forces troops, the three women hardly cut the image of dangerous criminals. Ms. Samutsevich seemed dazed and stared off into space as her father, sitting in the courtroom, signaled to her to listen to the judge. Ms. Tolokonnikova, who has a 4-year-old daughter, traded concerned glances with her husband.

The case has thrown a spotlight on the increasingly close relationship between the government and the resurgent Russian Orthodox Church, which has positioned itself, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, to become a potent political force.

Tyga – Make It Nasty

INDIA POWER OUTAGE LEAVES 600 MILLION WITHOUT POWER AS GRIDS FAIL

About 600 million people lost power in India on Tuesday when the country’s northern and eastern electricity grids failed, crippling the country for a second consecutive day.

The outage stopped hundreds of trains in their tracks, darkened traffic lights, shuttered the Delhi Metro and left nearly everyone — the police, water utilities, private businesses and citizens — without electricity. About half of India’s population of 1.2 billion people was without power. India’s unofficial power grid, a huge number of backup diesel generators and other private power sources, kept hospitals electrified and major airports running.

Manoranjan Kumar, an economic adviser with the Ministry of Power, said in a telephone interview that the grids had failed and that the ministry was working to figure out the source of the problem. The northern and eastern grids cover 11 states and the capital city of Delhi, stretching from India’s northern tip in Kashmir to Rajasthan to West Bengal’s capital of Kolkata.

The failure happened without warning just after 1 p.m., electric company officials said.

“We seem to have plunged into another power failure, and the reasons why are not at all clear,” said Gopal K. Saxena, the chief executive of BSES, an electric company that services South Delhi, in a telephone interview. It may take a long time to restore power to north India, he said, because the eastern grid has also failed, and alternate power sources in Bhutan and the Indian state of Sikkim flow into the east first.

About two hours after the grid failure, power ministry authorities said some alternate arrangements had been made. “We are taking hydro power from Bhakhra Nangal Dam,” in northern India, said Sushil Kumar Shinde, the power minister, in a televised interview.

India has struggled to generate enough power of its own to fuel businesses and light homes, and the country relies on huge imports of coal and oil to power its own plants. But supply and demand may not explain away this week’s grid failures, power executives said.

The failure on Tuesday affected roughly twice as many people as the massive power outage the previous day, when the northern power grid failed and left more than 300 million people without power for several hours. No official reason for the Monday’s failure has been given, although some local news reports pointed fingers at state governments which were overdrawing power.

That assessment is too simplistic, Mr. Saxena, of BSES, said. There are controls in place on India’s electricity grids that override an outsized power demand. “We have one of the most robust, smart grids operating” in the world, he said. It would “not be wise” to give an assessment of what happened at this time, he added.

Institutions without a private backup system were shuttered. All trains stopped in the Delhi Metro, which carries nearly 2 million passengers a day. Trains were pulled to the closest stations using battery back up, and then evacuated, a spokeswoman for the Delhi Metro said, and the stations have been locked. “We had never anticipated such a thing,” the spokeswoman said.

A trade body, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, or Assocham, said that Monday’s power problem “totally disturbed the normal life and has severely impacted the economic activities."

“While on the one hand it is a pity that over 26,000 megawatts of power stations are idle due to the nonavailability of coal, on the other one grid failure has brought the system collapsed,” said the group’s secretary general D.S. Rawat, noting that “the entire power situation at present is headed for disaster.”

Young Buck Speaks On IRS Auction

Chris Tucker Guess Who’s Back Tour!!

Chris Tucker (born August 31, 1972) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hourfilm series. Tucker became a frequent stand up performer on Def Comedy Jam in the 1990s. He came to prominence in the 1995 film Friday alongside Ice Cube, and then appeared in Luc Besson‘s The Fifth Element before beginning work on the highly successful Rush Hour films. In 2006, he negotiated an unprecedented $25 million salary to appear in Rush Hour 3, which made him the highest paid actor in Hollywood at the time.

Ludacris – Jingalin’

TITANS RECEIVER MURDOCH FOUND DEAD IN HIS CAR WITH A SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND

Murdock was found at around 8:30 a.m. outside of Middleton High School in Tampa Bay, the high school he attended.
The Titans signed Murdock as an undrafted free agent in 2011, but he didn't see any game action in his rookie season due to an Achilles injury. He spent last season rehabbing with the team.
The Titans released this statement on their website:

"We are shocked and saddened to hear of O.J. Murdock's death this morning. In his brief time here, a number of our players, coaches and staff had grown close to O.J., and this is a difficult time for them. He spent the last year battling back from an Achilles injury as he prepared for this year's training camp. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as they try to cope with this tragedy."

Murdock had not shown up for either of the first two days of Titans training camp, which opened on July 27. According to CBSSports.com. he'd been excused for those two days for "personal reasons." Head coach Mike Munchak said he thought it was possible that Murdock would arrive at camp on Monday.
As a high schooler, Murdock was a highly-rated prospect and had scholarship offers from Florida, Florida State and Miami. He chose to play at South Carolina for Steve Spurrier.
After a redshirt year, and then seeing limited playing time, Murdock was arrested in Tampa for grand theft shoplifting and suspended from the team indefinitely. He left the program and took a year off from football before resurfacing at Fort Hays State, where he played receiver and ran track.
In 2010 as a Fort Hays State Tiger, Murdock racked up 1,290 receiving yards on 60 receptions, along with 12 touchdowns and a 21.5 yards per catch average.
The student newspaper at Fort Hays State had this quote from Murdock about his legal troubles and departure from South Carolina.

"It really made me just grow up," Murdock said. "It is bad that bad things have to happen to you for you to grow up sometimes, but it is another stepping stone in life I guess."

At South Carolina, Murdock sat behind a couple of other stars at receiver. One was Sidney Rice and the other was Kenny McKinley, who would also go on to be an NFL receiver. McKinley's life ended on September 20, 2010 when he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

O.J. Murdock, a reserve receiver for the Tennessee Titans, was found in his car on Monday morning with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to a local hospital and died at 10:43 a.m. He was 25.

ET6 NATION PRESENTS: "DAILY WORDS OF WISDOM"

The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business--or almost anywhere else for that matter.
                                              Lee Iacocca
                                                

Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca (born October 15, 1924) is an American businessman known for engineering the Ford Mustang and Ford Pinto cars, being let go from Ford Motor Company, and his revival of the Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s. He served as President and CEO of Chrysler from 1978 and additionally as chairman from 1979, until his retirement at the end of 1992.

One of the most famous business people in the world, Iacocca was a passionate advocate of U.S. business exports during the 1980s. He is the author (or co-author) of several books, including Iacocca: An Autobiography (with William Novak), and Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

FLASH MOB ROBBERIES IN SWANKY CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD LATEST VICTIM IN AN ONGOING TREND



A clothing store in trendy Chicago neighborhood is one of the latest victims of a so-called flash mob robbery

A Chicago clothing store is out about $2,000 worth of merchandise after being hit by a "flash mob"-styled robbery. The robbery, captured by surveillance cameras at Mildblend Supply Co. and posted on YouTube, took place during the Wicker Park Fest street festival Saturday evening.
The footage shows a group of about a dozen men entering the store, located at 1543 N. Milwaukee Ave., and grabbing several piles of jeans.
Luke Cho, the store's owner, told Gapers Block that the theft could have been "a lot worse" as employees locked the store's doors when the group entered.
The men, according to Gapers Block, managed to force the doors open and left.
The store is urging anyone who can identify the individuals in the video to contact police at 312-744-8290.
The Saturday robbery is not the first time "mob-style" crime has raised concern in Chicago this summer. Earlier this month, 11 suspects were arrested in connection with a mob attack on a man in River North. A group of seven teens were charged in a similar downtown mugging attack in June.

MITT ROMNEY INSULTS PALESTINIANS WHILE PRAISING ISRAELIS ON HIS MIDDLE EAST VISIT

Mitt Romney told Jewish donors Monday that their culture is part of what has allowed them to be more economically successful than the Palestinians, outraging Palestinian leaders who suggested his comments were racist and out of touch with the realities of the Middle East. His campaign later said his remarks were mischaracterized.
"As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 dollars, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality," the Republican presidential candidate told about 40 wealthy donors who ate breakfast at the luxurious King David Hotel.
Romney said some economic histories have theorized that "culture makes all the difference."
"And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things," Romney said, citing an innovative business climate, the Jewish history of thriving in difficult circumstances and the "hand of providence." He said similar disparity exists between neighboring countries, like Mexico and the United States.
The reaction of Palestinian leaders to Romney's comments was swift and pointed.

"It is a racist statement and this man doesn't realize that the Palestinian economy cannot reach its potential because there is an Israeli occupation," said Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"It seems to me this man lacks information, knowledge, vision and understanding of this region and its people," Erekat added. "He also lacks knowledge about the Israelis themselves. I have not heard any Israeli official speak about cultural superiority."
As criticism mounted while Romney traveled to Poland, campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said: "His comments were grossly mischaracterized." The Republican's campaign contends Romney's comparison of countries that are close to each other and have wide income disparities -- the U.S. and Mexico, Chile and Ecuador -- shows his comments were broader than just the comparison between Israel and Palestine.
The economic disparity between the Israelis and the Palestinians is actually much greater than Romney stated. Israel had a per capita gross domestic product of about $31,000 in 2011, while the West Bank and Gaza had a per capita GDP of just over $1,500, according to the World Bank.
Romney, seated next to billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson at the head of the table, told donors at his fundraiser that he had read books and relied on his own business experience to understand why the difference is so great.

RAPPER 50 CENT TALKS PLANS ON TMT BOXING PROMOTIONS AND PARTNERING WITH FLOYD MAYWEATHER

Rapper 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather ready to challenge Oscar De La Hoyas Golden Boy with the new company TMT(The Money Team).

RAP star 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather plan to take the UFC head-on for the hearts and wallets of the next generation of fight fans, after forming a company that could dramatically shift the power-base in boxing
In a revealing interview, 50 Cent outlined plans to challenge the domination of boxing promoters Golden Boy and Top Rank "immediately", with their new company TMT (The Money Team) Promotions.
Mayweather has been coordinating raids to sign boxing's best stars from jail - he is due to be released August 3 -  with 50 Cent negotiating the deals and says he recently signed Australia's IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib to a three-year contract.
"We want to change boxing," said 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, who's amassed a $110m fortune in the music game.
"The goal initially is to create a company by fighters, for the fighters, which breaks the traditional vibe of promoters taking advantage of fighters.
"We're going to change the demographic also, appeal to the younger demographic.
"You look at UFC and MMA, when their festivities start the place is full, whereas the tradition in boxing is you wait until the main event starts.
"We want to put on cards where there are five main event fights, where there is entertainment from start to finish, cards that command attention all over the world."
50 Cent said TMT Promotions would put on their first show in November, most likely in Las Vegas. That show might possibly feature Mayweather's return to the ring.
Many disillusioned boxing fans have simply stopped watching in recent years, tired of mismatches, politics and meaningless alphabet titles, though Mayweather remains the most watched combat athlete on the planet and earns an estimated $40m per fight.
With the undefeated Mayweather's boxing credentials, and 50 Cent's mass appeal beyond the sport, several contracted top fighters are expected to defect from GBP and Top Rank to join TMT.
"I've already had fighters say to me, 'I wish I could join [TMT] but I've got this contract'," 50 Cent said.
"To me, the options are pretty clear. You can deal with a snake in the grass, a snake in the street  or you could try something new."
50 Cent has a well-known story of a tough upbringing in New York, going from teenage drug-dealer to the globe's most recognizable rap star and a successful businessman  earning $100 million in a deal to market vitamin water.

"I come from a background where not everything is in your favor, but I always anticipate success, I approach things with a positive outlook," said 50 Cent in reference to his latest venture.
Sydney's Dib is the third fighter on TMT's roster, with stars Yuriorkis Gamboa and Andre Dirrell already on the books.

"I really want to associate myself with the best possible talent, and Billy falls into that category," 50 Cent said.
"Floyd asked me to sign him, he has been watching his career and he has always been a big fan.
"When you have talent, it is important to showcase that talent."

BLACK COUPLE DENIED RIGHT TO WED IN A MISSISSIPPI CHURCH: TOLD "IT GOES AGAINST TRADITION"

Those are words an African-American couple used to describe how they felt when they were forced to change the venue of their wedding because of their race.

"Because of the fact that we were black, some of the members of the congregation had got upset and decided that no black couple would ever be married at that church," Charles Wilson told CNN on Sunday night.

"All we wanted to do in the eyes of God was to be man and wife in a church that we thought we felt loved. Their pastor, Stan Weatherford, made the request on behalf of some congregants who didn't want to see the couple married there, according to CNN affiliate WLBT. He performed the ceremony at a nearby church.

"This was, had not, had never been done here before so it was setting a new (precedent) and there were those who reacted to that," Weatherford told WLBT.

"I didn't want to have a controversy within the church, and I didn't want a controversy to affect the wedding of Charles and Te' Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day," he reportedly said.

On Sunday, some church members reacted to news of the wedding with surprise, many hadn't known what happened to the Wilsons until they heard about it on the news, and offered apologies.

"I would say I'm sorry this happened and would you forgive the people who caused it? Because we're gonna try to," Bob Mack told WLBT.

Talking about the group that opposed the wedding he said: "We hope we can straighten them out, you know, get them to understand what Christianity is all about because they have some misconceptions about it."

But for Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson, support from the church now might be too little, too late.

"I had dreams of having my wedding the way I wanted it, and I also dreamed of having it at the church and unfortunately, it didn't happen," Te'Andrea Wilson told CNN.

Her husband said if there was a time to "step up and be Christ-like," it was before their wedding. Hindsight is 20/20.

"If it was such a minority of people, why didn't the majority stand up and say, 'in God's house we don't do this?'" said Charles Wilson.

SNOOP DOGG BANNED FROM NORWAY FOR 2 YRS FOR GETTING CAUGHT ENTERING THE COUNTRY WITH WEED

At first, it was believed that Snoop would only receive a light slap on the wrist for arriving in the country with 8 grams of marijuana and carrying more cash, $37,352, than the country allows its visitors to possess, which is $33,236.
Instead, the 40-year-old rap legend was fined 52,000 kroners, or $8,600, for the violations. He was allowed to go ahead with his plans to perform at the popular Hove Music Festival, also in Kristiansand.
Reportedly, Snoop is fine with the country’s decision to ban him over the next two years and has no plans to appeal it.
The always engaging entertainer also became persona non grata in the United Kingdom following a 2006 Heathrow Airport brawl involving him and his entourage. The ban was lifted after an appeal.  The following year, Australia banned Snoop because of his criminal record. At the time, Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews told Sydney’s “Macquarie Radio” that “[Snoop] doesn’t seem the sort of bloke we want in this country.”
Eventually, the “land down under” granted him a work visa.
Snoop is set to release a new album, “Reincarnated” later this year. He is temporarily setting his familiar moniker aside and adopting a new name, “Snoop Lion.”  The West coast rapper will be foraying into the reggae genre of music. His first live appearance as ‘Snoop Lion & the Jungle’ is scheduled to take place on Aug. 3 at Toronto’s Caribana 2012.